Happy Endings
by Seung-hye
Summary: Darien Shields is a misjudged doctor—the youngest to ever work at Tokyo General Hospital. In reality, he's a big softie who's infatuated with the pretty young pastry chef just a few blocks away. When he finally speaks to her, though, it seems Serena Tsukino isn't as perfect as Darien thinks she is. Still, love always finds a way to ambush the unsuspecting.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, so your attempts to sue me would be fruitless.

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**Happy Endings**

Chapter 1

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The bells on the door chimed as he pushed it open, and he found that the restaurant was totally empty. Smirking for the first time during the entire day, Darien Shields approached the familiar figure sitting at the bar. "Seems like your restaurant is going south soon, huh?" The figure turned around and smiled at his visitor.

"Yet you keep coming back," Andrew said, reaching around the bar to grab another clean class and the bottle of scotch. "You're my best customer."

"I don't think I count as a customer if I don't pay for anything," Darien said, taking the bottle from his friend and pouring some into the glass. He ignored the fact that it was too early to be drinking; sometimes exceptions had to be made. "By the way, maybe you should let me pay for the drinks you give me. The money would probably help spice up the place a little."

"Hey, I take free booze from the bar. Why should my best friend have to pay?" Andrew laughed, taking another sip. So Darien, in the end, was just teasing. The restaurant was plenty successful, but there was always a time during the late afternoon when the place was absolutely deserted. "Rough day, huh?"

Darien sighed before lifting his drink to his lips and taking a sip, grimacing a bit—he wasn't much of a drinker. In fact, it was Andrew who had to drag him along to house parties and clubs back when they were in college. It was a miracle they had even met; Andrew was in the culinary program and his building was all the way across campus. Because he had to work with food all the time, Andrew took a few classes about health and diseases—which resulted in the two of them in the same class on Monday mornings.

They'd been best friends ever since, although it was a wonder to anybody who knew them. Andrew was a social butterfly, who flourished no matter what setting he was in. He had a girlfriend, named Rita, of four years, and many friends who often came to visit him at the restaurant. Darien, however, was a lone wolf. He preferred to be locked up in his plain, bare-walled apartment as he read through journal articles about the latest breakthroughs in medicine. Andrew was his only friend and, although Darien had had girlfriends, the relationships never extended longer than a few months at the most.

"So what happened, Dr. Shields?" Andrew teased, leaning against the bar and taking a quick glance outside to see if anyone would come in.

"Just the usual," Darien answered, not knowing why he let it bother him so much. He wondered whether things would truly be different if he had just graduated a little later, just like everyone else. However, because of his hard work, excellent grades, and formidable dedication to his work while he was a resident at the hospital, he finished classes quicker than most and earned enough credits in the end to graduate four years earlier than everyone else in his class. It wasn't much, but enough to leave his colleagues spiteful and jealous of his success.

"Oh Darien, you know they're just petty and jealous. You shouldn't let it get to you. Besides, you're a doctor now. There's no room for bullying at a hospital," Andrew said, finishing off the rest of his scotch.

"I know. People can be such jerks though," the dark-haired man explained. "Hey Andrew… do you really think I'm stoic?" Darien asked carefully, recalling how his coworkers had described him to other patients at the hospital. They said he was stoic, cold, and unfeeling—that he didn't care about his patients and therefore didn't deserve to be a doctor.

Of course, they were wrong. Darien cared a great deal for the people he treated, especially when it came to sick children. However, he had promised himself to maintain a professional distance from them all—if he got too attached to every single patient he had, the job would prove to be very difficult for him and his colleagues. Darien thought he was doing the right thing, that he was being a good doctor… but his coworkers seemed to think otherwise. They thought he was stuck up and conceited, that he thought he was better than the rest of them.

Darien only wanted to be the best doctor he could be.

"Stoic? Not at all." Andrew said, somewhat surprised at the question. "You're one of the most caring people I know, Dare!" When his friend didn't say anything back, Andrew took the glass out of his hands and slammed it onto the counter. "C'mon, I know exactly what will cheer you up!"

"What?" Andrew took off his apron and threw it behind the bar, then proceeded to drag Darien towards the door. "What about the restaurant?"

"It's closed for the rest of the day! Now come on! We're going to _Crystal Confectionaries_." Andrew announced triumphantly, turning his head to flash a big wide grin to his friend, who stopped his in tracks.

"W-Wait, what? _Crystal_—wait. Wait. What?" Darien sputtered, not really knowing what to say. How did Andrew know that the cutesy little bakery just a few blocks away would cheer him right up? If anyone else knew about this, it'd be the end of him—especially if this little piece of information were to get out to his coworkers. Dr. Darien Shields heading to a cupcake shop because he was having a bad day. Yeah. That'd make him an easy target.

"Geez, you think I wouldn't know that you have _the_ biggest crush on the girl who works there?" Andrew huffed, watching with amusement as Darien's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"How did you—How did you—How—?"

"Wow Doctor, you're so eloquent!" Andrew said with fake enthusiasm. "Now hurry up! The bakery will close in an hour!"

Ten minutes later, they arrived in front of the small little bakery with a big reputation—_Crystal Confectionaries_ was famous for their delicious treats and had often been featured on news programs and several cooking shows. However, it wasn't the sweets that Darien was attracted to. There was a girl who worked there, a girl with a peculiar hairstyle but stunningly bright blue eyes. She had been at the hospital one day, delivering cookies and cupcakes to the patients. She saw him walking by and getting ready to clock out, took a cupcake out of the box, and handed one to him with a smile. "One for the road, Doctor?"

He hadn't been able to forget that smile.

Ever since, he would occasionally drop by the bakery to buy a dozen cupcakes from the angel whose smile could heal any kind of pain. She hadn't indicated that she recognized him, but she would always give him that same smile. He would always say that he was buying the cupcakes for the children at the hospital, but he never saw any sign of recognition in her eyes.

"Andrew, I'm gonna kill you if you say anything." Darien said threateningly to his best friend.

"What am I, twelve? I needed to stop by anyway." Now that was unexpected. Why on earth would Andrew need to stop by the bakery? "Hi Lita!" Darien noticed the tall brunette he always saw here and she smiled at the visitors.

"Hey Andrew," she said in a particularly loud voice, sending a knowing glance to an empty spot behind her. She smirked when she heard a crash in the kitchen, giggling to herself before turning her attention back towards the blonde. "Sorry, Mina's just pulling a Serena—she's extra clumsy today!"

Andrew let out a laugh before remembering that he brought his best friend along with him. Turning back to the door, he saw that Darien was standing awkwardly in the middle of the doorway, looking around and pretending like he wasn't looking forward to talking to the pretty little pigtailed woman standing behind the counter. "Ah Lita, this is my friend Darien."

Darien smiled a small smile, lifted his hand to wave before crossing his arms over his chest again and resuming his position. "Oh, I know you!" Lita said, her ponytail swished as she turned to look at him. "You come here all the time!"

Mortified was not a strong enough word to describe what Darien was feeling at the moment.

"Anyway, Andrew, I have some new menu items for you to try." Lita said, gesturing to the kitchen. "Would your friend like to come with us?" She asked, noticing that Darien was still being awkward as hell.

"No," Andrew smiled. "He'd probably enjoy himself more out here. Let's go." They disappeared into the kitchen and Darien wondered why he hadn't noticed it before. Under the dessert section of the restaurant's menu, there was always a small sign that said "Courtesy of _Crystal Confectionaries_". This bakery was the one that would supply Andrew with cookies, cupcakes, pies, and ice cream—material for his bestselling chocolate milkshakes.

When he came back to his senses, he noticed that _she_ was looking right at him. As they made eye contact, she smiled at him and beckoned him to come over and order something. Of course, he couldn't resist.

"Hi," Darien said sheepishly, wondering how long she had noticed him standing there like an idiot. For the first time, he saw she was wearing a nametag.

_Serena_.

How perfect.

However, Darien's image of the perfect angel whose name was Serena was about to be shattered forever. He had failed to remember what Lita had said about a girl named Mina "pulling a Serena". He had failed to notice that she was covered in flour and had chocolate smeared on her left cheek, or the fact that there was a pile of burnt cookies sitting on a tray behind her.

He failed to notice that Serena was not as perfect as he thought she was.

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CHAPTER ONE -FIN-

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Author's Notes: Okay, so _Crystal Confectionaries_ isn't exactly the most creative name in the world. I couldn't really think of anything for the name though, so I guess it would have to do. I wanted to put something that would reference Crystal Tokyo, but my lack of imagination put me in a slump. Anyway, please review if you like it so far! I'll be back with a new chapter soon.

~Seung-hye


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.

* * *

**Happy Endings**

Chapter Two

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Darien was freaking out. _FREAKING. OUT_.

His smile wouldn't betray such emotions though, as he struggled to stay calm before the golden-haired angel standing in front of him. It wasn't like he had never spoken to women before, but this one was different. She made him feel giddy, something he never thought he would ever feel for anyone or anything. Her smile alone sent his heart to his throat, made his stomach do somersaults and his palms all clammy with sweat.

And he had only been talking to her for ten minutes.

"So," Serena began, again flashing him that mega-watt smile. "What would you like today?" Darien was disappointed that she didn't remember him, because he came into the bakery so often and always made sure she was the person he spoke to when ordering. He couldn't resist asking, even though his entire being screamed at him not to.

"You really don't remember me?" He asked, immediately regretting it when it sent a quizzical look onto her face. He himself hated it when people asked him that question; it was a stupid question to ask someone… but in front of Serena, all logic seemed to fly out the window. She stared at him long and hard, tilting her head in confusion in such an adorable way Darien almost passed out.

"Um…" she began; his heart sank. She gave him a sheepish look, closing her eyes as if she were trying to search every single corner of her brain for any hint that she knew him. "Oh! Can you give me a hint?" She piped suddenly, telling him she _loved_ guessing games. He wondered if he should be offended, but the way she looked at him with such genuine eyes made it impossible.

"I'm a doctor," he said, giving in before even having a chance to fight back. Again, the young woman paused and pursed her lips, which proved to be an immense distraction for Darien. Suddenly her eyes widened and she snapped her fingers; Darien's spirits began to lift.

"Tokyo General!" She shouted, her eyes wide with recognition and excitement. "I remember now! Yeah! I totally remember you!" She jumped up and down like a kid waiting for the ice cream truck, her pigtails flying around her. He couldn't help the gigantic grin that broke out on his face when she laughed. "I'm so sorry I didn't remember earlier; I have a _terrible_ memory!"

"It's okay, Serena." He grinned even wider now that he was able to use her first name. You could see the hearts in his eyes when she asked for his, smiling as she called him "Dr. Shields".

"Because of the fine work you do for the people of this city, Dr. Shields," she began, turning around to open the refrigerator and take out a medium-sized white box. She opened it and took out a single cupcake, topped with bright pink frosting and chocolate chips. "I bestow you the greatest honor I can ever give—a cupcake from my first-ever successful batch. I just baked them this morning." If you thought Darien was hopelessly in love before, he was in even deeper now.

"Oh no, I can't possibly—"

"Of course you can! I swear it's good!" She placed a napkin down on the counter and gently plopped the cupcake on top of it. "Even Raye said so, and she's a really harsh critic. Besides, I already ate the other ten—not even Lita, Mina, or Ami got one!" That last part made him feel particularly special, even though he knew Serena was just being nice. The best part was that Serena looked absolutely adorable as she raised a finger to her lips and made a shushing noise, as if asking him to keep it a secret for her.

It would take him a while to accept the treat, though, for halfway through the conversation Serena noticed the chocolate on her face. She wiped it away with her fingers and licked them; did she not know how unbelievably sexy she was being? When he snapped back to his senses, he prayed she didn't notice the blush on his cheeks.

Later, Darien would forget that he came to the bakery with Andrew and would leave alone, a single cupcake in his left hand. He would practically skip back to his boring apartment and almost get hit by a car, but he wouldn't care. His best friend would call him later that night, asking Darien why he would ditch someone like that. Darien would give some vague answer about the hospital and hang up the phone without another word. He would remember the cupcake as a taste of heaven, fluffy and not too sweet.

He would remember the day he finally spoke to Serena as one of the best days of his life.

His elation was cut short, however, when Serena showed up at the hospital one late afternoon with another batch of cupcakes and cookies for the patients. Darien had wondered why he never saw her since the first time; turns out Serena was pretty flaky about her schedules—she visited the hospital whenever she saw fit, sometimes coming in the morning and other times in the afternoon. She did try to make the visit each week, but they always fell on a different day and she made an effort to visit a different ward every time she came.

Darien was about to walk up to her, until a gruff voice interrupted his thoughts and stopped him in his tracks. "Shields," the voice called. Darien turned around and came face to face with Kunzite and Zoisite, the last people he wanted to see.

Kunzite was another doctor at the hospital and was responsible for most of Darien's grief regarding his job. Zoisite was a resident who worked directly under the supervision of Kunzite; the pair was inseparable—almost like they were lovers.

"What are you looking at, pretty boy?" Zoisite teased, looking past him and seeing the petite blonde standing just a few feet away, who was approaching people with an opened box of sweets made by her friend Lita. "Ah, I see… but isn't she far too young for you, Doctor?" Darien bit back his temptation to retort that he was far younger than the two of them, making his age gap with Serena much less significant than they were thinking.

"Imagine that. Darien Shields has a fetish for young girls." They continued to taunt him, but Darien only rolled his eyes. How on earth they ever managed to get into medical school would always be a puzzle to him, considering how immature and tactless they both were. He turned away and began walking in the opposite direction. "Maybe we should report this to human resources; we'll have to ask them to keep you away from the pediatric ward—"

It all happened so fast. Kunzite was cut short by a _thud!_ sound that made Darien turn around, despite his immense dislike and indifference to the duo. His eyes landed on Serena, who had thrown the empty box of treats at Kunzite's head. Her cheeks were flushed; was she embarrassed?

"For a doctor," she began in a loud voice, "you're not a very good person. I can't believe you'd even think of spreading such a ridiculous rumor about Dr. Shields!" No, she wasn't embarrassed. She was angry. For his sake. Serena turned around to the patients in the waiting room, "If I were any of you, I'd absolutely hate to be treated by the hands of a man who's incapable of empathy and maturity."

"You—" Zoisite stepped forward, reaching out her arms to grab Serena's unsuspecting pigtails. Before she could, the blonde whirled around once again. Her blue eyes were a source of solace for Darien, but her glare made Kunzite and Zoisite recoil just a little.

"You're no doctor; you're a _coward_!" She shouted, which rallied up the other patients in the waiting room. The healthier ones stood up and called him some names that most respectable people wouldn't dare repeat. Some patients could even be heard requesting a different doctor. Darien had no idea so many of the patients remembered him. Kunzite and Zoisite turned to leave reluctantly, gritting out an insincere apology to the patients for causing a ruckus before walking away and disappearing down the hall.

Darien grinned at Serena, touched that she would stand up for him even though she didn't even know him very well. He was, however, partly ashamed at the things she heard. He was a grown man being bullied by his own colleagues… what kind of man would she think he was? However, Serena's bottom lip began to quiver ever so slightly, sending Darien's thoughts into overdrive.

"I… I… I was so scared!" She wailed, before falling to her knees and sobbing. Her high-pitched cries caused Darien to wince and fight the urge to seek cover in a soundproof room. "Did you see the way he glared at me? I thought I was a total gonerrrr! Wahhhhh!" It seemed that the awful things she heard from Kunzite and Zoisite were the last things on her mind.

Just a few moments ago, the patients and surrounding nurses had been on his side. Now, they were giving him looks of disdain for making a young girl sob uncontrollably.

Darien couldn't even wrap his head around what just happened.

Still, he got her to her feet and guided her to one of the empty rooms. He allowed her sit and calm her nerves; when her sobs began to die down into the occasional hiccup, he asked if she was alright. "Oh yes," she said, "I'm so sorry for causing a scene. I just… I _hate_ people like that. I can't believe you just walked away. I was so angry. If we weren't in a hospital, I'd launch my cat on them." Serena smiled at him through her tears; Darien's fingers itched to reach out and wipe them away for her.

So Serena was a little bit emotional. Darien didn't mind.

He glanced at his watch. "Would you like me to walk you back to the bakery?" It was getting late; he'd hate to have her walk back all on her own. Her eyes lit up and she asked if he'd really do that for her. It wasn't even a big gesture, but if this qualified as an act of kindness to Serena, then Darien certainly wouldn't say otherwise. He asked her to wait for him in the lobby as he took care of a few more things, before meeting her by the front doors and trying to hide his giddiness as he walked next to her while the sun began to set. Everything was painted a beautiful orange, as if someone up there was trying to do him a favor by setting up such a romantic atmosphere.

However, about fifteen minutes into the walk, Darien ended up carrying Serena on his back—not that he was really complaining. But Serena had managed to trip over thin air, walk right into a utility pole, and get scratched by a stray dog (she was trying to be friendly, but animals can be unpredictable) on their way to the bakery. She was so full of cuts and scraps that Darien wondered how on earth she functioned properly in a workplace that contained stoves, hot plates, and the occasional sharp utensils.

"Sorry for all the trouble," she said as he set her down gently on the ground. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment; she wondered if he thought she was heavy… after all, she did have quite a bit to eat that morning and afternoon. "I have some cake batter left over in the fridge! Please let me bake it for you as an apology and a thank you!"

Darien smiled awkwardly, thinking about the fact that he didn't really appreciate sweets. The cupcake she gave him the other day was different; it was a symbol of what had happened on their first real meeting. He was more than happy to indulge in a small portion of sugar, chocolate, and flour… but an actual cake might be a bit much. Still, the twinkling of her eyes in the orange sunlight as late afternoon turned to dusk was too much for him to resist.

Two hours later, he wondered whether he should have rejected her offer—especially as he sat in a smoke-filled bakery with the fire alarms going off at full volume. Serena was running around opening windows, taking the burnt blob of what was supposed to be known as strawberry shortcake out of the smoking oven, and almost setting the entire place on fire as she left a dish rag near the turned-on gas stove…

"Ouch!" She screeched when, in a moment of panic, she reached out to grab the scorching hot pan that was previously sitting in the oven.

Although Darien began to realize that Serena wasn't exactly the person he thought she would have been, he crossed the smoky room and took her hand in his to inspect the redness that had formed on her fingers. Her blush would produce one on his own face, the way her hand seemed to fit perfectly in his would tell him that it didn't matter whether or not she lived up to his previous expectations, and the fact that he would have eaten the entire cake—even if it was burnt to a crisp—would tell him that he liked her even more than he realized.

The way she shyly whispered his name into the hazy atmosphere of the bakery would tell him that—maybe, just maybe—she might like him too.

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CHAPTER TWO –FIN–

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Author's Notes: This chapter is a lot longer than I expected it would be. I find that I'm not very good at writing romantic comedies, but I'm trying my best and hopefully it's not terrible. I'm afraid I'm not very funny, but I hope that Serena's clumsiness is enough to count as humour for this story.

In addition, I was scared that Darien's encounter with Kunzite and Zoisite might be seen as perhaps unrealistic or a bit too immature for doctors working at a hospital. Still, there are people out there who fail to act their age and can be real jerks, no matter how old they are. Hopefully that wasn't too distasteful or anything. Anyway, stay tuned for updates!


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